Fiction

Pure Colour

Pure Colour

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  • Create Date：2022-02-21 10:51:40
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sheila Heti
  • ISBN：0735282455
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Summary

A new novel about art， love， death and time from the author of Motherhood and How Should A Person Be？

Here we are， just living in the first draft of creation， which was made by some great artist， who is now getting ready to tear it apart。
In this first draft， a woman named Mira leaves home for school。 There， she meets Annie， whose tremendous power opens Mira's chest like a portal--to what， she doesn't know。 When Mira is older， her beloved father dies， and she enters the strange and dizzying dimension that true loss opens up。
Pure Colour tells the story of a life， from beginning to end。 It is a galaxy of a novel: explosive， celestially bright， huge， and streaked with beauty。 It is a contemporary bible， an atlas of feeling， and a shape-shifting epic。 Sheila Heti is a philosopher of modern experience， and she has reimagined what a book can hold。

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Reviews

Guillaume Morissette ，

“Mira had spent so much of the second half of her life thinking about people from the first half”

Canadian Reader ，

Sheila Heti appreciates and exploits the flexibility of the novel。 Her latest book is an unconventional， even peculiar one —by turns stimulating， frustrating， and affecting。 There’s a rough， unfinished feel to it， and parts are quite opaque。 Deceptively simple prose and a third-person telling sometimes make the novel read like a fable for children， but there are mythopoeic elements and long fantastical， surreal stretches as well， where the book moves beyond the fabulistic。 I sometimes wondered i Sheila Heti appreciates and exploits the flexibility of the novel。 Her latest book is an unconventional， even peculiar one —by turns stimulating， frustrating， and affecting。 There’s a rough， unfinished feel to it， and parts are quite opaque。 Deceptively simple prose and a third-person telling sometimes make the novel read like a fable for children， but there are mythopoeic elements and long fantastical， surreal stretches as well， where the book moves beyond the fabulistic。 I sometimes wondered if the author wasn’t a bit mad。 The novel’s focus is the death of the protagonist Mira’s father。 Soon after his last breath is taken， she feels his spirit enter into her。 （view spoiler）[She describes this experience in sexual terms， using the word “ejaculated。” （hide spoiler）] Later， Mira inhabits a leaf and carries on a series of conversations with her dead parent， covering such topics as the afterlife （what it’s like to be dead， to have shed one’s body and personhood）; the role of art; and the fate of an ever-warming planet， our current civilization， and humanity itself。 I interpreted the protagonist’s experience as her entering a kind of vegetative psychological state in which the mind continues to work at a deep， subconscious level。 A leaf functions metabolically， using light to make energy， but is incapable of autonomous action， forming a plan， or purposefully engaging with life。 It’s an apt metaphor for early bereavement， and Heti rightly portrays it as a potentially dangerous state from which a person may need to be pulled by another。 Early in the novel we’re told that the world in which the characters find themselves is imperfect， God’s first draft， one that He’s almost finished writing。 Flawed as it is， this world has a vitality and an intensity that may be edited out in subsequent versions。 It is said to be populated by different types of people or “critics”， who hatch from one of three types of egg， reflecting different aspects of God。 First， there are the flighty， fragile “birds”， interested in beauty， order， harmony， and meaning， who critique from above。 Next are the “fish”， whose outlook from the middle of the action is communal and whose aim is to fix what ails society。 Finally， we have the “bears”， who are in the thick of things， cradling loved ones in their arms。 Family and tradition matter most to this type。 Mira， the central character， is a bird。 Annie， a detached， rather ethereal being whom Mira loves but cannot quite connect with， is a fish， and Mira’s father， whose entire life has been built around her （to the point that she’s feared being engulfed by him） is a bear。 Mira is required to resolve what constitutes the right degree of distance between herself and others， and to come to terms with the death of her father。Though it’s not explicitly stated， Toronto is the recognizable setting of the novel。 The time frame is vague and shifting。 We see Mira as both a young and a middle-aged woman， but ordinary markers of human time figure very little in the novel。 There is also precious little plot， and Heti’s characters are thin， more spiritual concepts than bodies in a material world。 This is a novel of ideas and emotions， and its themes are ones more frequently encountered in poetry than in fiction。 The language is loose， inexact， sometimes slippery。 I’ll admit I wasn’t always sure what Heti was talking about。 Her refusal to indent and punctuate the long stretches of “leafy” father-daughter dialogue didn’t help matters。 Ultimately， however， I was impressed and moved by the book。 I often complete novels and feel no particular urge to find out what other readers think about them。 This one is an exception。 Rich and strange， certainly open to interpretation， it’s a fictional work that begs to be discussed with others。Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy。Rating: 3。5 rounded up 。。。more

Peter Dyer ，

In her last two books， Motherhood and How Should A Person Be？， Sheila Heti had proven herself to be one of the greatest contemporary chroniclers of human emotion， reading those works felt like riding in a submarine， straight into the inner workings of the mind。 This is why， after months of anticipation， I found myself confused and disappointed by her latest novel Pure Colour。I listened to the audiobook of Motherhood， read by Heti， this past fall during a weekend when I was asking myself a lot of In her last two books， Motherhood and How Should A Person Be？， Sheila Heti had proven herself to be one of the greatest contemporary chroniclers of human emotion， reading those works felt like riding in a submarine， straight into the inner workings of the mind。 This is why， after months of anticipation， I found myself confused and disappointed by her latest novel Pure Colour。I listened to the audiobook of Motherhood， read by Heti， this past fall during a weekend when I was asking myself a lot of questions - about intimacy， partnership， art， work， and love。 I listened to Motherhood while on a several mile walk， and when I emerged， I found that I had the answers to almost all of the questions that I had posed。 Heti is a magician like this， a literary magician who opts for short sentences and simple words to convey the human condition， parkouring between various topics pertaining to motherhood， art， love， and sex。 Heti’s books are a collaborative effort between her and the reader - in her texts， she asks multiple questions， expecting the reader to have some semblance of an answer by the end of the text。 Heti’s characters want help， and they are looking to the reader for support。Pure Colour marks Heti taking on wildly different territory。 Writing in a register that differs quite a bit from her previous two novels， Heti’s dreamy prose in Pure Colour reads like an urgent letter from a very convincing cult leader。 Always a fan of blank spots in her work， she has taken that to an extreme here - Pure Colour is made up almost entirely of vignettes， with only a handful of them taking up more than 2 pages。 As a fervent fan of her work， I felt slightly cheated - I typically love her use of white space， but with how much she attempted to take on in this book， a lot of it felt unnecessary。 Unlike the book I just finished， Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami， Pure Colour could stand to be a bit longer。 Totaling 216 pages， Heti’s protagonist loses her father， turns into a leaf， falls in love with a woman named Annie， and introduces some theory about “art critics in the sky” and how the world is divided into the three types of critics: bears， birds， and fish。 It’s clear that， in between her previous novels and Pure Colour， Heti has dabbled in children’s book writing。 Pure Colour feels like a confusing， wordy bedtime story， which it basically is。For someone not working at Heti’s level， Pure Colour would be a perfectly promising debut。 And fans of her work will still be pleased to find that the novel contains glimmers of Heti’s fabulous insight， on topics such as reading， friendship， crushes， and the apocalypse。 The idea of the world being separated into different “drafts” created by God， as if he were a painter or writer， was corny and difficult for me to get into。 There were multiple parts of this book where Heti seemed to be taking herself very seriously， something I hadn’t seen her do before。All that being said， one mediocre novel doesn’t ruin the impact that this writer has had on me。 The way Heti sees the world still shines， even in this very convoluted novel。 She’s one of our most welcoming and kind literary citizens， a close reader and daring artist unafraid to work in whichever medium she chooses， no matter if the experiment works or not。 We have to applaud her for that。 。。。more

Brendon。goodmurphy ，

Oh wow， this was brilliant！ So imaginative and engrossing。 Experimental literature at it's best。 It is a fairly quick read， so I don't agree with reviews that say certain parts dragged。 We're starting to see Heti at the peak of her powers， in control and maturing。 She is more confident and honest， and trying less to seem clever。 Oh wow， this was brilliant！ So imaginative and engrossing。 Experimental literature at it's best。 It is a fairly quick read， so I don't agree with reviews that say certain parts dragged。 We're starting to see Heti at the peak of her powers， in control and maturing。 She is more confident and honest， and trying less to seem clever。 。。。more

Robb Claravall ，

If they don't love you—STOP。 Stop deluding yourself。 Stop fantasizing。 Stand up， gather your self-worth， and LEAVE。After， don't forget to turn into a leaf！ Photosynthesize the hell out of your emotions， and once you open up your heart and let the sun shine in。。。 that's when your true love comes。 <3 If they don't love you—STOP。 Stop deluding yourself。 Stop fantasizing。 Stand up， gather your self-worth， and LEAVE。After， don't forget to turn into a leaf！ Photosynthesize the hell out of your emotions， and once you open up your heart and let the sun shine in。。。 that's when your true love comes。 <3 。。。more

Elaina ，

4。5 - a vessel for existential philosophizing。 I enjoyed it very much。

s。 ，

oh my god。。。。。。okay。 i don't have words for how much i loved this or how special this was to me。 it feels like the very essence of this book touched the very essence of me; it was beautiful， expansive， at once spiritual and grounded， and brimming to the top with love — for life， for the universe， for love itself。 reading this felt like i was perched atop a leaf that was tumbling through the air， sun-dappled and breezy。 i loved how strange， grief-stricken and ethereal it was。 like i said， it's di oh my god。。。。。。okay。 i don't have words for how much i loved this or how special this was to me。 it feels like the very essence of this book touched the very essence of me; it was beautiful， expansive， at once spiritual and grounded， and brimming to the top with love — for life， for the universe， for love itself。 reading this felt like i was perched atop a leaf that was tumbling through the air， sun-dappled and breezy。 i loved how strange， grief-stricken and ethereal it was。 like i said， it's difficult to put down in words how it made me feel or how much it meant to me， all i know is that it'll stay with me forever （the bird/fish/bear analogy and the concept of first and second drafts of this universe， among many other things）。 sheila heti you are EVERYTHING 。。。more

Sarah ，

DNF， not for me

Aeryn ，

I was not a fan of this writing at all。 There was one section that was interesting。

Elena ，

tysm to netgalley and Farrar， Straus and Giroux for this advanced copy。 I was thrilled to receive this book because I've heard so much hype。 and while the first section of the book really got me， it started to flag as the character fell into grief。 something bout that section just did not grab me！！！ and then I switched to an audiobook and was revived back into enjoying this。 I really enjoy the style — I'm going to call it prose poetry。 and I wish it almost leaned in harder？ because the style is tysm to netgalley and Farrar， Straus and Giroux for this advanced copy。 I was thrilled to receive this book because I've heard so much hype。 and while the first section of the book really got me， it started to flag as the character fell into grief。 something bout that section just did not grab me！！！ and then I switched to an audiobook and was revived back into enjoying this。 I really enjoy the style — I'm going to call it prose poetry。 and I wish it almost leaned in harder？ because the style is surely the most compelling element of this book to me。 I'm also impressed at the length because I do think a book in this style cannot hold itself up under the weight of this type of meandering thought for too long。 I think if you enjoy Maggie Nelson's work， you are likely to enjoy this book as well！ 。。。more

Audrey H ，

I’ve never seen a book cover scream I’M LITERARY FICTION harder。 I was intrigued by the fantasy/religious overtones of the blurb， but I can’t get into it

Gaby ，

such an interesting read， had laughs and had tears。 this is the type of book I know I’m gonna go back to many times

Vincent Scarpa ，

“Perhaps this is why Mira doesn’t like loving people。 Perhaps this is why she doesn’t like being loved。 Just because it’s love， does that mean you have to like it？ Do you have to want it forever， simply because it’s love？ Maybe Mira has no heart。 Maybe a heart comes and goes。 Perhaps her heart is protecting her against pain。 Perhaps it will start working later on。 Maybe her heart got tired long ago， and collapsed and was left by the side of the road。 Maybe one day it will start to feel again。 Ma “Perhaps this is why Mira doesn’t like loving people。 Perhaps this is why she doesn’t like being loved。 Just because it’s love， does that mean you have to like it？ Do you have to want it forever， simply because it’s love？ Maybe Mira has no heart。 Maybe a heart comes and goes。 Perhaps her heart is protecting her against pain。 Perhaps it will start working later on。 Maybe her heart got tired long ago， and collapsed and was left by the side of the road。 Maybe one day it will start to feel again。 Maybe it has run out of feelings。 Anything can run out of anything。 A thought can run out of words。 The last thing that’s needed is to judge your own heart， but then that’s the first thing you go and do。 A heart rushes to judge itself。 A heart should have better things to do。 A heart doesn’t。”Not without its great moments of writing， but overall I just found this book to be not my particular cup of tea。 Others disagree！ Read for yourself， I guess？ 。。。more

lark benobi ，

I couldn’t love a book more than this one。 Every sentence opened me。 I felt as if this book were speaking to me privately and intimately， about private joys and private melancoly。 I fell into a profound sense of being in a personal conversation with what I was reading on the page。 I was reminded of what I should be paying attention to in my life--both in my big life--what it's all about--and in the small daily moments--what beauty there is to be found in them。 The book worked on a pre-semantic l I couldn’t love a book more than this one。 Every sentence opened me。 I felt as if this book were speaking to me privately and intimately， about private joys and private melancoly。 I fell into a profound sense of being in a personal conversation with what I was reading on the page。 I was reminded of what I should be paying attention to in my life--both in my big life--what it's all about--and in the small daily moments--what beauty there is to be found in them。 The book worked on a pre-semantic level in me， where the meanings of the words were deeper than the words themselves。 I can't remember reading a book that accomplished this with such ease， such joy。 My deep thanks to Sheila Heti for trusting the person inside her who insisted that she write this book。 。。。more

Amy Zupancic ，

Oh， dear。。。my first time reading Sheila Heti's work。。。and definitely my last。 My grandmother had a maxim she hammered home with me: "If you don't have something nice to say， don't say anything at all。" Although I'm tempted to follow her maxim here and say nothing， I'll simply say， "Not recommended。" Oh， dear。。。my first time reading Sheila Heti's work。。。and definitely my last。 My grandmother had a maxim she hammered home with me: "If you don't have something nice to say， don't say anything at all。" Although I'm tempted to follow her maxim here and say nothing， I'll simply say， "Not recommended。" 。。。more

Pierre Warum ，

What a book。 So clever， all I want right now。

grace ，

I don't think I will read something like this ever again， and I adored it。 This book is a living breathing thing， a story filled with tender emotions of first love， but on the other hand the brutal reality of losing the one you love the most and processing the grief。 A book full of ambitious themes of grief， love， religion and influences of philosophy and spirituality weaved throughout in about a 200 page span sounds difficult to do， but Heti does it with the utmost perfection。 Every aspect from I don't think I will read something like this ever again， and I adored it。 This book is a living breathing thing， a story filled with tender emotions of first love， but on the other hand the brutal reality of losing the one you love the most and processing the grief。 A book full of ambitious themes of grief， love， religion and influences of philosophy and spirituality weaved throughout in about a 200 page span sounds difficult to do， but Heti does it with the utmost perfection。 Every aspect from quality and prose to originality and the layers of depth in this is top tier， maybe even some of the best thats out there right now。 And I cannot stress enough that the writing in this is something else， from the first page I was in a trance， captivated by the strongest writing I've read in years。 Trying to explain this book doesn't do it justice， this is an experience you need to have with the book itself。 My first one sitting read of a book not just all year but in months， and I don't think this one will be topped as my number one publication of 2022。 。。。more

Victor ，

Pure Colour by Sheila Heti I want this review to be taken with a huge grain of salt as I've come to realize this strain of high brow， verbose literary fiction is just not for me anymore。 I used to want to love stuff like this and I've read a couple titles I can compare this to that I had a better time with。 I think if you're a fan of Ali Smith then you'd love this。 I've read the Seasonal Quartet last year and the novelty of that project wore off for me with Summer， but if you love beautiful poet Pure Colour by Sheila Heti I want this review to be taken with a huge grain of salt as I've come to realize this strain of high brow， verbose literary fiction is just not for me anymore。 I used to want to love stuff like this and I've read a couple titles I can compare this to that I had a better time with。 I think if you're a fan of Ali Smith then you'd love this。 I've read the Seasonal Quartet last year and the novelty of that project wore off for me with Summer， but if you love beautiful poetic writing， abstract descriptions and concepts， and characters that function more as symbols and vehicles for points to be made rather than being fully realized humans then you will eat this book up。 It simply was not for me。 I was initially intrigued by the idea of a literary novel delving into the idea of this world being God's first draft and everything eventually being swept clear and life starting over。 This book also deals with art criticism， grief， and young love。 This book totally has an audience， but I'm not in that crowd。 If you're interested it's definitely worth checking out。 My kindle told me it only took about three hours to read this， so it's a quick read。 。。。more

Skylar Tibbetts ，

Made me think about how we keep friends。 How we hold them， I am often overwhelmed by the idea of “staying in touch”， which before social media was much more of an intentional act （Heti refers to this juncture as the “friendship revolution”）。 If “staying in touch” = following someone on Instagram， then how deep is that touch？ How felt？ The abrupt realization of having less friends than ever before; the modern complexity in being known by few， rather than seen by many。 I am so little of myself whe Made me think about how we keep friends。 How we hold them， I am often overwhelmed by the idea of “staying in touch”， which before social media was much more of an intentional act （Heti refers to this juncture as the “friendship revolution”）。 If “staying in touch” = following someone on Instagram， then how deep is that touch？ How felt？ The abrupt realization of having less friends than ever before; the modern complexity in being known by few， rather than seen by many。 I am so little of myself when solely perceived。 I know that about you too， I promise I know that， Anyhow I liked this book less than I’d hoped。 。。。more

Yanique Gillana ，

4。5 stars I am grateful to Farrar， Straus and Giroux for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review。 This was an absolutely stunning introduction to this author。 I had never read anything from Sheila Heti before， but something about the synopsis of this book really pulled me in and I am so glad that I read it。 This book is about human connection， grief， and uncertainties in everyday relationships。 We follow a character as she is faced with understanding who she is， and what her purp 4。5 stars I am grateful to Farrar， Straus and Giroux for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review。 This was an absolutely stunning introduction to this author。 I had never read anything from Sheila Heti before， but something about the synopsis of this book really pulled me in and I am so glad that I read it。 This book is about human connection， grief， and uncertainties in everyday relationships。 We follow a character as she is faced with understanding who she is， and what her purpose is in life after someone she is loved has passed away。 The writing was deeply philosophical， while also being relatable and moving。 The imagery that the author used to describe emotional turmoil and the struggle to find an anchor and achieve some semblance of stability was perfect。 I found so much of this story to be personally moving， and so many of the experiences described in this book to be familiar。 The author did a great job of presenting us with just as much information as we needed， while still maintaining somewhat of a distance between us and the characters who populate this story。 This mirrors the distance our main character feels to the people that she encounters。 Even from the very beginning， （view spoiler）[We see her notice the man in the lighting store across the street who has the same job she does。 She acknowledges that it would be so easy to start a conversation with him， but yet she sees this as an impossibility。 （hide spoiler）] These behaviors set the tone for her character and the problems with connecting with others throughout the story。 I found the main character to be intriguing， layered， and endearing。 This is a very short book that packs a lot between its few pages， and I think many people can enjoy it。 I recommend this to readers of poetry and emotional literature。 。。。more

Dillon ，

Overall an enjoyable reading experience。 There were a few moments that I got lost in the text， but by the end I came back and really liked this unique book

TC ，

Recommended with reservations。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 Recommended with reservations。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 。。。more

Shigufa ，

just finished this so I’m still swimming in a sea of my own thoughts— but I loved this so much and it already holds such a special place in my heart。 Reflective and extremely imaginative。 A meditation on our place within society— from the specific roles we play amongst each other （the bird， the fish， the bear） to our connection with the physical world around us。 I found this to be extremely ？？？ healing and profound in the face of loss and grief。 The whole read almost felt like a moment of mindfu just finished this so I’m still swimming in a sea of my own thoughts— but I loved this so much and it already holds such a special place in my heart。 Reflective and extremely imaginative。 A meditation on our place within society— from the specific roles we play amongst each other （the bird， the fish， the bear） to our connection with the physical world around us。 I found this to be extremely ？？？ healing and profound in the face of loss and grief。 The whole read almost felt like a moment of mindfulness in the way that it pulled me out of my head and out of my very human™️ earthly™️ problems to just … think about the human condition。 Very abstract for sure but lots of beautiful lines I have underlined， this is a book I can see myself coming back to many times over 。。。more

Mare E。 ，

This novel was a whirlwind from start to finish。 We are taken on a journey with Mira through many vantage points as she moves through grief and contemplates the interpersonal relationships in her life: what tethers you to this earth and to this life as we live on in this moment。 Each word is so mysteriously picked in that if you are a reader that reads for the words， this is the novel for you。 Heti tackles big ideas yet never claims to have any answers。 To seek knowledge from earth， the living a This novel was a whirlwind from start to finish。 We are taken on a journey with Mira through many vantage points as she moves through grief and contemplates the interpersonal relationships in her life: what tethers you to this earth and to this life as we live on in this moment。 Each word is so mysteriously picked in that if you are a reader that reads for the words， this is the novel for you。 Heti tackles big ideas yet never claims to have any answers。 To seek knowledge from earth， the living and the dead， for ever being a student in life。 And while this novel holds heavy weight， Heti has a way of making you feel light even though the most sorrowful moments。 This to me makes her story ever more human and easy to latch onto。 As "big brained" as Pure Colour is there is no moment that the writing felt too big to tackle。 Heti shows that she is a great writer and that near perfect work is accessible to all people and being curious， being sad， missing your dad， and wanting that girl to look at you the way you look at her is what it means to live。 Thank you to Netgalley and FSG for the digital proof 。。。more

Lori ，

This book was mesmerizing through and through。 Part gentle love story， part meditation on grief， and part art philosophy， Pure Colour is a book I will be thinking about for a long time。 In fact， by the halfway point， I knew it was a book I would want to annotate and reread， so I went ahead and preordered a physical copy。 I look forward to exploring more of Heti's previous work and reading whatever she publishes next。Thank you to Farrar， Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC。 This book was mesmerizing through and through。 Part gentle love story， part meditation on grief， and part art philosophy， Pure Colour is a book I will be thinking about for a long time。 In fact， by the halfway point， I knew it was a book I would want to annotate and reread， so I went ahead and preordered a physical copy。 I look forward to exploring more of Heti's previous work and reading whatever she publishes next。Thank you to Farrar， Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more

Hilary ，

In Sheila Heti’s PURE COLOUR， out February 15， God is an artist and creation is a work of art that God redrafts over and over again。 “[A]rt is not made for living bodies—it is made for the cold， eternal soul”—and it is in this coldness where death， heartbreak， and tragedy occur。 It is in this coldness where a girl called Mira loses her father and spirals into grief， feeling all the complex mixes of relief and guilt and depression。 She becomes a leaf， small as to not feel the heaviness of the wor In Sheila Heti’s PURE COLOUR， out February 15， God is an artist and creation is a work of art that God redrafts over and over again。 “[A]rt is not made for living bodies—it is made for the cold， eternal soul”—and it is in this coldness where death， heartbreak， and tragedy occur。 It is in this coldness where a girl called Mira loses her father and spirals into grief， feeling all the complex mixes of relief and guilt and depression。 She becomes a leaf， small as to not feel the heaviness of the world。This is God’s first draft， and “[t]here is something exciting about a first draft—anarchic， scrappy， full of life， flawed。” In the depths of grief these flaws can feel immense and terrible， and yet Heti contemplates the ways these imperfections make life utterly and heartbreakingly beautiful。 There is a strength in understanding human resilience。 There is a knowing that the hurts of this draft will inevitably be erased to create a better next draft， to be a part of that process of bettering。 In the next draft， Heti writes， there won’t be fathers to mourn。These types of books usually give me some of my most favorite reading experiences—not knowing what is going on until the hour after I finish when it stays with me， digging a hole in my brain until I am forced to say “you have me。” That being said， I didn’t enjoy the process of reading as much as I appreciated the uniqueness of Heti’s overall depiction of grief。 A girl is a woman is a leaf is a woman in a leaf costume？ The plot line and narration style were all slightly bizarre。 That being said， if you enjoy unconventional literary fiction with minimal plot， this one may be right up your alley。 。。。more

Alana ，

A delightfully odd read that demands to be read on its own terms。 Don't go in with expectations and you'll be pleasantly surprised in my experience。 This book strives to be quite philosophical and approaches it in a rather blatant way—which isn't a bad thing， just one worthy of remark。 There is some gorgeous prose and a lovely spin on stream-of-consciousness narration。This novel is quite unique and difficult to summarize with justice。 Read it。 A delightfully odd read that demands to be read on its own terms。 Don't go in with expectations and you'll be pleasantly surprised in my experience。 This book strives to be quite philosophical and approaches it in a rather blatant way—which isn't a bad thing， just one worthy of remark。 There is some gorgeous prose and a lovely spin on stream-of-consciousness narration。This novel is quite unique and difficult to summarize with justice。 Read it。 。。。more

Sarah ，

I think it's time to accept that whilst the broad overarching ideas of Sheila Heti's fiction appeal to me somewhat in the abstract， the resulting novels are just not my cup of tea。For one thing I should have taken the descriptions of the "contemporary bible" element in the blurb more seriously: there are a lot of mentions of God， which is obviously fine if that's your kind of thing but unfortunately it's not mine。 I've never been a particular fan of novels with themes that are religion-heavy （ju I think it's time to accept that whilst the broad overarching ideas of Sheila Heti's fiction appeal to me somewhat in the abstract， the resulting novels are just not my cup of tea。For one thing I should have taken the descriptions of the "contemporary bible" element in the blurb more seriously: there are a lot of mentions of God， which is obviously fine if that's your kind of thing but unfortunately it's not mine。 I've never been a particular fan of novels with themes that are religion-heavy （just a personal preference）， and the whole "second go at creation" plot point and idea of the protagonist Mina having her dead father's soul inside her didn't really work for me -- neither did the descriptions that it had been "ejaculated into her"。 Oh， and the main character gets stuck inside the leaf of a tree at one point as well。 （Yes， I'm aware that I should've read the blurb more carefully instead of getting sucked in by the pre-publication hype。）This is quite an experimental and free flowing narrative， bouncing between ideas。 That said， the chapters are short and snappy and it's accessible， making for a quick read。 I don't regret my time reading it but I'd venture that it's not a book that'll be for everyone。 Thank you Netgalley and Farrar， Straus & Giroux for the advance copy， which was provided in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Amerie ，

The Amerie's Book Club selection for the month of February is PURE COLOUR by Sheila Heti！Follow @AmeriesBookClub on IG， and join me and Sheila Heti on my IGLIVE （@Amerie） Feb。 24 1pm PST/4pm EST。 Bring your questions！In Sheila Heti's PURE COLOUR， life， death， love， art， and all of creation exist as God's first draft。。。which God is on the verge of revising。 Mari loses her father， and as she grieves， discovers his consciousness has entered her body， and it isn't very long before both their conscio The Amerie's Book Club selection for the month of February is PURE COLOUR by Sheila Heti！Follow @AmeriesBookClub on IG， and join me and Sheila Heti on my IGLIVE （@Amerie） Feb。 24 1pm PST/4pm EST。 Bring your questions！In Sheila Heti's PURE COLOUR， life， death， love， art， and all of creation exist as God's first draft。。。which God is on the verge of revising。 Mari loses her father， and as she grieves， discovers his consciousness has entered her body， and it isn't very long before both their consciousnesses find their way into a leaf， where so much observation takes place。 If we are God's first-draft creations， then we are， in fact， rough works of art。 What does this mean in relation to our joys， our pains， and the art we， in turn， create。。。and what's the point of all this writing and rewriting？ In search of answers， PURE COLOUR unfurls in a series of quiet and most poignant contemplations。ABOUT SHEILA HETISheila Heti is the author of eight books， including the critically acclaimed "How Should a Person Be？" and the New York Times Bestseller， "Women in Clothes" （edited with Heidi Julavits and Leanne Shapton）。 She is the former interviews editor at The Believer magazine， and has been published in The New Yorker， McSweeney's， The Paris Review， n+1， The London Review of Books， and more。 Her work has been translated into a dozen languages。 She lives in Toronto。#AmeriesBookClub #ReadWithAmerie @Amerie @AmeriesBookClub @fsgbooks #SheilaHeti #PureColour 。。。more

Georgia ，

This needs a reread。 Not the right time to read something so experimental for me。 Some poignant observations of the human condition though。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Pure Colour

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Pure Colour&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Pure Colour&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0